


Silence

by InfiniteJediLove



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, star wars au-ish
Genre: Challenge fic, First Meetings, Jedi Temple, Jinnobi Challenge, Knight Kenobi, M/M, Obi/Qui - Freeform, Qui-Gon POV, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 19:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12327555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfiniteJediLove/pseuds/InfiniteJediLove
Summary: Qui-Gon Jinn meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, at night, in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.





	Silence

_There we two, content, happy in being together, speaking little, perhaps not a word._ – Walt Whitman

 

The Room of a Thousand Fountains was one of the most remarkable areas of the Temple. Built to mimic the surroundings of nature, it was difficult for many to accept that the sky high above the immense room was a holo projected on the ceiling in meticulous detail. Technology and life interconnected inside the open expanse, the raw Force conduit of trees, grass, and water remained suffused with the flat unreadable energy traces of machinery. Hundreds of waterfalls cascaded into the large lake at the center of the massive room, the water circulating continuously so as not to use more resources than what had already been culled from Coruscant’s polluted surface.

A favorite place for many Jedi, the Room of a Thousand Fountains was nonetheless often empty at night, the vast area extremely quiet except for the programmed noise of insects singing softly. In the many years that Qui-Gon Jinn had served the Jedi Order, he felt most at peace when surrounded by nature, even that which was artificially produced. He sat still on one of the several benches scattered throughout the massive room, his tall, strong frame held motionless, attuned to the ebb and flow of the Living Force. His eyes remained closed in meditation, his breath evenly paced. Simulated moonlight fell over him, stars gleaming from the ceiling where a night sky shifted above, constellations continuously reforming to represent a multitude of star systems.

A change of energy in the Force alerted him to another’s presence. Qui-Gon opened dark blue eyes, scanning the moonlit expanse. A figure was approaching the edge of the lake a few meters to the left. Qui-Gon tilted his head, studying the newcomer. The being was human, male, and younger than Qui-Gon, perhaps only in his twenties. He was likely a newly knighted Jedi for the man’s hair was still short but without the signature braid of a padawan. The young man was not wearing a cloak; his light-colored tunics seemed to gather the synthetic starlight, shining faintly in the shadows. He was pale, his feet unexpectedly bare. The man paused at the edge of the lake, studying the small waves rippling over the water.

“I did not expect to see someone else here.” The man spoke suddenly, his low voice faintly accented, his eyes still fixed on the water.

Qui-Gon smiled in the near-darkness, “Nor did I.”

He could not fully see the other man’s face, though he sensed that the man was close to smiling as well, turning his head now to look at Qui-Gon as the taller man rose and approached the edge of the lake. Qui-Gon did not recognize the other Jedi, but then he was often gone from the Temple for years at a time. Now closer, he saw that the man’s eyes were light-colored, although it was impossible to know their exact shade, the moonlight bleaching out any defined hue.

“And what would a newly knighted Jedi be doing here in the Room of a Thousand Fountains?” Qui-Gon asked lightly, still studying the man’s face. “I was sure the Council thought up a particularly difficult first mission for a knight.”

His dry humor was met with a small half-smile from the younger man.  
  
“I have returned from that mission and am familiarizing myself once again with tranquility,” the man replied, one eyebrow raised slightly in amusement, eyes bright in the darkness.

The other Jedi was an exceptionally handsome man, Qui-Gon realized, surprising himself at the sudden thought. Qui-Gon rarely noticed physical beauty, but he found it suddenly difficult to keep eye contact with this man who watched him calmly. Qui-Gon looked away, studying the waves along the lake, the fountains that poured into the open water.

“It is very peaceful here,” he murmured in response.

When he turned back, he noticed that the younger man’s gaze had not shifted, the Force rising between them. They stood too close, Qui-Gon thought, for having just met, yet he did not back up or look away from the man’s stare that was focused exclusively on Qui-Gon, as if he were listening closely to something only he could hear. It was unlike Qui-Gon to feel shy at another’s scrutiny. He was a Jedi Master, accustomed to interacting with many different species in extraordinarily difficult circumstances, still he felt suddenly unsure around this younger man who studied him with quiet attentiveness. A breeze rippled the water further, the wind stirring Qui-Gon’s long brown-gray hair. Air circulation was programmed to occur every quarter hour but the subtle movement seemed to distract the younger man and he looked away. Silence built between them. Qui-Gon found it difficult to speak, or to leave.

“I don’t believe you answered my question,” Qui-Gon finally stated softly.

His surroundings seemed suddenly different in the moonlight, although he often visited the Room of a Thousand Fountains at night. The sound of running water echoed faintly, the spray from a nearby fountain beading at the hem of Qui-Gon’s dark brown cloak. The younger man tilted his head back to look Qui-Gon in the eye, his gaze still intent.

“I thought I might swim,” he declared quietly, glancing toward the water before looking back at Qui-Gon with a hint of a smile, “Would you like to join me?”

There was no rule against swimming in the Room of a Thousand Fountains at night although Qui-Gon had not heard of anyone who did. Perhaps it was the intriguing Force energy of the other Jedi or that faint half-smile that led him to agree when normally he would have refused. The younger man stepped back and walked a few paces toward one of the larger falls where the rushing water cascaded over huge rocks, misting the air with small water particles. The night temperature was pleasantly humid, tolerable for many species. Jedi could mentally control their body temperature but it was relieving to be able to undress without having to consider the cold.

The concept of nudity held little value to Jedi: skin was only another layer between the soul and the Force. Still, Qui-Gon was aware of the other Jedi – the man’s body fit, though not particularly strong or tall. His slender body was at least a half-foot shorter than Qui-Gon’s impressive height. The younger man moved with grace and surety as he neatly folded and set aside his clothing, turning to regard the water again, neither watching nor looking away from Qui-Gon as the older Jedi shed the last of his own tunic layers.

Naked, they moved into the water, far enough away from the falls to avoid the powerful cascade. A lazy current swirled through the lake, waves rippling against Qui-Gon’s thighs. The smaller man swam ahead of him, a pale shape in the darkness, disappearing underwater for a few seconds only to surface again. The bottom of the lake was deep and soon Qui-Gon’s feet no longer touched shore. He swam toward the center of the lake.

Lately, the only situations he had been in that had involved swimming were ones in which he had to move quickly or silently to avoid danger. He was used to swimming with powerful strokes, trusting the Force to guide him. Now he slowed his usual pace, appreciating the moment for what it was.

Qui-Gon treaded water a few minutes before sliding underwater, the liquid refreshingly cool against his bare skin. He felt his hair lift from his scalp with the natural buoyancy of water, his limbs lighten. His eyes were still open to see the glint of the artificial moon above, the deep clear blue of the liquid around him. He broke the surface quietly, pushing his long, thick hair back from where it clung now to his neck and arms, water dripping from his beard. The other Jedi appeared next to him suddenly, his eyes bright, his short hair sticking up in wet tufts, moonlight directly above them.

They swam without destination so that soon they circled into one another, Qui-Gon unaware of their closeness until suddenly he was. The other man faced him, his focused gaze softening. Qui-Gon felt their limbs meet briefly, feet and ankles brushing, hands occasionally touching. The feel of another’s skin underwater was sleek, appealing. Droplets of water clung to the younger man’s eyelashes, his face wet, his expression open. There was an intimacy to this, Qui-Gon thought, the quietness, their closeness.

He felt his gaze shift toward the other Jedi’s mouth, the water that had beaded on the lower lip. This close, he could see faint freckles on the man’s face and shoulders. He studied each near-invisible mark, feeling himself being watched with the same intensity. Qui-Gon wondered what the other Jedi saw, if there was anything about himself that could catch the eye the way this man did with him. The Force flowed between them, its power so simply attained that it took a while for Qui-Gon to understand that their minds were close to touching, circling one another as their bodies had in the water.

“My name is Obi-Wan,” the younger man said softly and though he did not smile his voice had a warmth to it.

Qui-Gon offered his own name, despite knowing that Obi-Wan already knew it. His status as a Jedi Master would have ensured him as more recognizable than the younger man. The sound of their own voices seemed to awaken something in their awareness and they both moved away from one another and toward the shore. Even after dressing and parting without speaking, Qui-Gon could feel the Force connection tentatively linked between their minds.

* * *

The thought of Obi-Wan Kenobi lingered with him, longer than what was customary for a Jedi to consider another individual. Qui-Gon paused in his musings, glancing at the ceiling of the Room of a Thousand Fountains. It was a clouded night, dark enough so lanterns on the lake’s edge had automatically lit. It had been three weeks since the last time he had seen the other Jedi, three weeks since they had swum together in the lake. He did not know if it was the Force or his own longing that brought him back to the lake each night, hoping for the other Jedi to appear. He thought of what he knew of Obi-Wan, which was little. The man’s file in the Jedi records listed only facts that Qui-Gon had already guessed, he was twenty-six and had been knighted a year ago, he was six inches shorter than Qui-Gon and had specialized in Form IV for his lightsaber training. Obi-Wan’s hair had been listed as red as a child, later brown or auburn as an adult. He had eyes that were often listed as some variation of green but other times as gray or blue.

The man was still very much a mystery. One that Qui-Gon could have solved if he had spoken to Obi-Wan’s former master or padawans near the young man’s age. But he found he could not. He did not want to tell others about the moment that he had shared at the lake with the younger man. He could have discovered where Obi-Wan was staying in the Temple but his thoughts of the man seemed tied to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, the Force connecting them so that he remembered with perfect clarity the feel of water against his bare skin, Obi-Wan swimming toward him.

Perhaps it was his thought of the other man or the same impulse that drove him to visit the Room of a Thousand Fountains every night, that caused him to look up and see another Jedi approach and to know it was Obi-Wan before the man reached his side. The lantern light left a warm glow on the smaller man’s face as he looked up at Qui-Gon, almost smiling. Neither one of them spoke; to speak would disrupt the delicate connection between their minds, the emotions that were building in Qui-Gon’s heart.

They undressed and went into the water, staying slightly closer to shore, where they could still see their surroundings lit dimly by the round lanterns that cast orange shadows over the water. Qui-Gon was a strong swimmer, proficient in many ways, but he could not compare to Obi-Wan’s natural skill. Silence held them, both comforting and seductive as they swam side by side this time, Obi-Wan leading them closer to one of the large waterfalls. The current churned, pushed against them, but they continued on. Qui-Gon felt the rush of water surge around him, through him as they swam under the fall. They surfaced on the other side, surrounded by the smooth boulders tumbled around the falls, their feet barely touching the shore. Obi-Wan laid a hand on a large rock, looking up at the waterfall in front of them. It poured into the lake, shielding them from seeing the rest of the room. The area was almost completely dark now, except for the lantern set far behind them on the shore. It cast a muted glow onto the back of their bare shoulders, catching glints of red in Obi-Wan’s wet hair.

The younger Jedi turned his head, silhouetted as he looked at Qui-Gon. They watched one another, the flow of water pulling at their bodies. Again, that silent intimacy came. Qui-Gon moved closer without knowing. In Obi-Wan’s direct gaze he saw hope, felt it in the rising strength of the Force. Qui-Gon did not know what he was fully as they floated there behind the churning waterfall, he knew only pieces in the darkness before Obi-Wan closed the distance between them. Their mouths met, light incandescent behind Qui-Gon’s eyelids as the Force reached entirely for the presence of the other man, their minds briefly one.

Obi-Wan’s mouth tasted of water. Qui-Gon reached up, cupping the man’s face, deepening the kiss so that their bodies moved closer, Obi-Wan’s wet skin brushing against his own. The gesture felt strangely familiar despite Qui-Gon having never kissed another before. It was as if his soul were recognizing Obi-Wan, something like absence disappearing from within as he pulled the younger man close. When they parted it was silent again, both of them staring, the lantern light dancing in faint circular patterns over the water’s surface. The Force echoed between their minds, tightly linked now. The depth of his own longing awed Qui-Gon as he saw it reflected in the mysterious color of the other Jedi’s eyes. Obi-Wan glanced toward the waterfall cascading in front of them, turning back to Qui-Gon with that small delighted smile which he had given at the very beginning, and Qui-Gon knew that he loved this man.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed this fluff of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon meeting, skinnydipping, kissing, all that. I do love to write these two falling in love. 
> 
> This fic was written for the Jinnobi Challenge, which runs every October 1st- 28th and is open to any work (fic, art, whatever), provided it’s Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon. Please feel free to message me if you want more details about the challenge. I’ve been blabbing about it on tumblr for awhile, but I know quite a few ao3 users aren’t on tumblr, so I’m letting everyone know through here!
> 
> (Oct 19th: I've edited the fic now for some typos that merryamelie pointed out, thanks Merry!)


End file.
